Abstract

Goals: The research goal is to investigate, by the further definition of existent theories and their numerical
control, when a set of project and technological factors can really have an influence on energy performances
in buildings of central Italy (Mediterranean regions) considering, as experimental site, the region of Marche.
Regardless of plant design, this research want to set the importance of "variable" project factors, in dynamic
energy simulations, referring to passive buildings project. The research goals are:
- definition of users' comfort conditions, referring to thermo-hygrometric conditions and psycho-physical factors
connected to living spaces and climatic features of the regions object of study;
- definition of the morphological and technological project's importance, in determining energy features and
psycho-physical comfort conditions, in Mediterranean climate;
- numeric and scientific check of variable project factors.
Method: from the analysis and study of ancient and modern architecture's components in Mediterranean
climate, it has been defined and classified ten reference project factors, checking their impact on energy
components and comfort conditions in winter and summer conditions. These factors can be so defined:
1 Orientation,
2 Surface area to volume ratio,
3 Thermal inertia,
4 Thermal transmittance
5 Sunscreens use,
6 Natural ventilation,
7 Different temperature areas,
8 Passive strategies for the envelope
9 Air impermeability
10 Colour
Through accurate and repeated energy evaluations performed in dynamic energy simulations (using Design
Builder and Ecotect softwares) considering three different typological models and various techological
arrangements for the envelope, it has been calculated the real effective incidences related to thermal
requirements in winter and summer conditions.
The requirements are determined as they occur, depending on building components' changes in each model,
coming to quantify in percentage how much each factor above mentioned, weight upon the project and
construction of Mediterranean climate buildings.
Results: The analysis of the archieved results, in numerical terms, shows more or less marked confirmations
about the importance (in terms of comfort and energy requirement de-escalation) of factors as inertia, phase
displacement, thermal damping and orientation of the structures.
It shows moreover some surprises about the actual incidence of some factors, until now not fully considered
by the existent reference literature, as colour, natural ventilation and sunscreens use.
It shows instead the very low incidence on global energy behaviors of primary importance factors in cool
climate, as air impermeability, surface area to volume ratio and partly the external envelope's high
performances (with low thermal transmittance).
It can be said then that a building well insulated and with a good thermal inertia, conceived for winter
conditions in a cool climate, should be conveniently revised and corrected, considering with more attention
another series of project and technological factors, with reference to Mediterranean climate areas.
Specificity: the research's results can represent an important progress for new research projects, in university
field and European and non-European cooperation programs. Beneficiaries of these achieved results are:
- the university, because the produced instrument sets itself as starting point for the following research
improvements, in Mediterranean regions, to scientifically setting guidelines and reference instructions for the
project of high energy efficiency buildings in Mediterranean climate.
- public administration. The results, can become instruments for regional instructions and local codes for the
energy control in buildings, setting project strategies suitable for the local building production.
- professional technicians: architects, civil and constructions engineers. The research is aimed at technical
operators in the field, because can provide practical instruments for the high energy efficiency buildings
project, through the ten referential factors management.